More than 80 jobs are to be lost in Waterford with the closure of HP Chemie-Pelzer, an automotive components factory based in the city's industrial estate, writes Carol Duffy.
Employees, many of whom have been with the company for over 20 years, were told of the news at a general meeting and those who are members of SIPTU are to meet again tomorrow to be briefed on the company's closure plans.
Waterford-based Senator Brendan Kenneally (FF) said that the job losses were a further blow to the city, following on as they do from the announcement earlier this month of 63 job losses at one of the Honeywell sites in the city.
"This migration of work from Waterford is very worrying and I share the concerns of union officials that we seem to be leaking a lot of work to cheaper locations overseas.
"It is clear that considerable investment is needed to ensure that the city and county receive a fair share of foreign investment and it is crucial that future such investment is at a high-skills level."
Three held on car dealer's murder
Three people were last night being questioned by gardaí in Limerick about the murder of a car dealer on New Year's Eve.
These are the first arrests in connection with the death of Mr Sean Poland (39), who was shot dead at his home in Blackwater, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, on January 31st last.
Yesterday morning, gardaí arrested two men and a woman, all in their early 20s, on the northside of the city in connection with the murder investigation.
The two men were last night being questioned at Mayorstone Garda Station on the north side of the city and the woman was being held at Henry Street Garda Station in the city centre.
Tanaiste urges jobs for disabled
Employers must be made aware of the contribution that people with disabilities could make to meeting labour shortages in a number of sectors, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said in Cork yesterday.
Speaking at the launch of a Workway campaign to promote the employment of people with disabilities, the Tánaiste said every effort had to be made to reduce unemployment levels among individuals with long-standing health problems.
The Workway programme is the first initiative in Ireland to bring employers, people with disabilities and unions together in networks to raise awareness and change attitudes and practices surrounding the employment of people with disabilities.
"People with disabilities have traditionally had difficulty in accessing the labour market. However, the importance of being in employment is as important for people with disabilities as it is for all citizens. It provides financial independence and improves self-confidence," Ms Harney said.
"People with disabilities are highly motivated, flexible and have the capacity to bring these strengths to the workplace. Employers must be made aware of this."
Workway research indicates that only 40 per cent of the 271,000 people registered as disabled in this country are in employment, compared with a rate for the population as a whole of 65 per cent.
Big reduction in speeding cases
The number of people being caught for speeding offences in Co Donegal has dropped significantly since the introduction of the penalty points system, according to the county's Garda traffic division. The average number of detections per month has fallen from 415 to 120.
Donegal County Council is reviewing its policy on speed limits, with the possibility of introducing a new 50 mph limit on some roads.